Curtis walked up to Rashad’s building, only to find about five cop cars and a huge crowd out front. He pushed his way to the front and found Nallely there crying on Ashley’s shoulder while Christina consoled both of them. “Yo what happened?” he asked.

“They arresting Rashad. He killed some boy a couple days ago two blocks over.” Christina divulged.

Curtis was in awe, “What?” he had just kicked it with Rashad last night and he hadn’t said anything about murdering nobody, but then again, Rashad never mentioned any of the dirt he did.

Two cops ushered Rashad out the building with his hands behind his back. He held his head high with a smug look on his face. He knew someone had to have snitched on him because they had nothing else on him. He knew he wouldn’t spend long in the pen.

Rashad heard his name being called from the crowd and he looked to see Curtis and the girls. “Yo King hold it down for me aiight? Take care of them B! I’m countin on you. Aye Ashley, I love you girl aiight? I love you!” he was being pushed into the back of one of the squad cars.

As they drove off, Curtis and the girls stood in the street, watching him being taken away. Rashad turned around and watched them too until he was too far away to see them.

Curtis stood in the street, awestruck. He couldn’t believe his best friend was about to go to prison, and for murder. He then looked at Ashley and Nallely both crying. “Come on.” He wrapped his arms around the both of them as he took them into the building. He thanked God that Colby was in school and didn’t see his older brother get dragged off to jail.

Later on that night, Curtis was knocking on his cousin’s door. When she answered, he pushed past and walked in. “Yo, I’ma need a key Shondra. I can’t be knocking to get into my own business.”

“Well excuse the hell outta me!” she stood there with a drink in her hand.

Curtis sighed, “My bad, it’s ready?”

“Yeah.” She took a sip and led him to the kitchen where different bags sat on the table.

Earlier he rounded up all of Rashad’s foot soldiers and told him that he was in charge and to be outside of this building at 7 to pick up they supply. It was now 6:45. “Cool cool, good work.” He nodded as he handed her a hundred dollar bill.

She put it in her bra, “Thank you.” She then walked out and went into the living room.

He then picked up the wall phone in the kitchen and dialed a familiar number.

“Hello?” Colby answered.

“Aye lil man, what’s goin on?” Curtis spoke into the phone.

Colby paused, “Okay. NaNa won’t stop crying.”

“Let me speak to her aiight?” Curtis asked as he looked at the clock wall.

“I feel you, I feel you. But yo, I got some business to take care of right quick and then I’ll be over there aiight?” he informed.

She nodded as if he could see her through the phone, “Okay.”

“Aiight, I’ma holla at you later.” He spoke as he hung up. He then went into the living room and looked out the front window and saw a small group of guys all dressed in black standing on the corner. “Yo, come up to 5B!” he shouted down. Soon they all disappeared into the building.

He distributed the work and ran down how he wanted the operation to be ran. Real lowkey, none of that super flashy flashy sh*t. Just enough to maintain. “Come on let’s get this bread. Everybody eatin over here!” with that the soldiers all disappeared the same way they came.

“You mean to tell me this all you got? What, you not done or something? Where the rest at?” Rashad questioned one of his soldiers about the money he had in a brown paper bag.

The eighteen year old shook his head and hung it low, “I got robbed.”

“You got robbed? So you not a man?” Rashad looked at the younger boy.

He looked in his eyes, “I’m always a man about mine.”

“Oh you a man? That’s not what you tellin me. And that’s definitely not what you telling the niggas that robbed you. Who did this man?” Rashad was heated. He hated being made a fool of.

The young boy told him who it was and where he could find them.

“Knock, knock.” Curtis was at Vali’s door on his day off.

Vali opened it, “Took you longer than expected, what’s up?” he opened the door wider for Curtis to come in.

“I want in.” Curtis said.

Vali smiled, “Follow me.”

He taught Curtis how to break it down and the mentality of it all. When night fell, he was on his way home. As Curtis was walking home with a duffle bag of three broken down bricks of pure Cambodian cocaine, Vali’s voice rang in his head.

<em>You’re gonna sneak up on them like a thief in the night. Take all their corners, their buildings, their hangouts. This is your sh*t now. You’re selling sh*t that’s better than theirs half the price. You’ll sweep the rug right from under them. Keep your circle close, you can’t trust too many people. Don’t lose your head. Stay level, stay modest, and stay humble.</em>

Curtis stopped at the building across from his and went up to the fourth floor. He knocked twice and waited for a response.

The lady behind the door answered, wiping her hands on her apron. “What’s up Curtis. Your mama told you to pick up something?” she asked.

“Naw.” He shook his head at his older cousin.

She put her hand on her hip, “Then what is it?”

“You wanna make some money?” he asked.

She paused and looked at him, “Yeah.” She stepped back and let him in.

“Yo, that’s them niggas over there.” The young boy pointed out.

Rashad looked up the block at the group of young boys. They had to be around the same age as his soldier. He shook his head, shamed that he had to dead one of the niggas. He zipped up his black hoodie and put on the hood. He looked up and down the deserted block and tried to stay out of the brightness of the street lights to creep up effectively.

When he got close enough, he pulled out his gun. “So which one of y’all stole from me?” within seconds, the circle was surrounded at gunpoint by Rashad’s men. “Don’t y’all know who the fck I am? I’m Rashad ‘Richie Rich’ Johnson, King of Harlem. The fck is y’all problem?”

“Man fck you Rich!” one of the boys called out and the rest looked at him as if he was crazy.

Rashad flashed a smile. The dummy had revealed himself without even knowing it. “Oh, so you must be the big bad muthafcka. You much be ready to die or some sh*t? That’s what you tellin me?” he stepped up on the younger boy.

The boy was shook but he wouldn’t let it show. He stayed quiet. If Rashad was gonna do anything, he would’ve done it already. Or so he figured.

“Run.” Rashad looked at the other boys standing idle.

They made no hesitation in heeding his command. They weren’t ready to take a bullet for anybody. Not over the chump change they got from Rashad’s soldier.

The boy smacked his lips, “So what you gon do?”

“What I’m gon do?” he chuckled as he looked around at his soldiers who all began to join in on the laughter. Rashad smoothly c**ked the gun and shot the boy right between the eyes. “Lil b*tch.” Rashad mugged the body and walked off with his team. He dropped the gun in a sewer and went over to Ashley’s.

well we know forsure king a good kid cuz he sold that balloon for hella cheap
if a junkie gona ask u twice and say u sure u straight u know the price too low!
but ayy i see him tryna get at lil sis
run it

“Yo, chill on me! That b*tch lyin, I ain’t fck that hoe!” Rashad stood outside Ashley’s building trying to calm her down before she decided she was done with him forreal.

Ashley shifted on her feet and placed a hand on her hip, “Nigga how the fck am I supposed to know that?! You a lyin ass nigga, and she a busted as hoe. And both of you muhfckas can catch this beatdown.”

“Baby chill, please! You know I love you, you my number one---”

Ashley interrupted with a hand to his face, “Nigga I need to be your only. Talm bout number one. Fck you Rashad! I can do bad by my damn self.”

“So what you tryna say?” Rashad got nervous. They had broken up and gotten back together many times before, but he was afraid that this time would be the final time she’d take his sh*t. she had warned him the last time. But this time, he really didn’t do anything wrong. If he was gonna lose her, it was gonna be for some sh*t he’d done. Not something some jealous ass b*tch had lied on him about.

Ashley sighed, “I warned you.” She said in a softer tone, almost somber.

“I know baby, but I swear I ain’t fck that b*tch.” He stepped closer to her, taking a chance on her now relaxed mood.

She inched back, “Why would she lie?”

“Why wouldn’t she lie? Baby, all these hoes jealous of you. They’d do anything just to spend a night in your shoes. But I’ve been letting these b*tches know that they can’t fck with my baby. Hoes be getting mad, and they want you to hurt. Thinkin they could get me, but they can’t. They can never have me, cuz you always gon be my baby. I love you girl.” He pleaded to her, speaking from his heart. He knew that’s what he had to do to keep her. Tell her the honest truth and pray to God that she’d believe him. “Don’t leave me baby.” He decided to add. He had grabbed her waist gently and pulled her close to him, not daring to break eye contact with her.

Tears started forming in her eyes, she was mad but sad at the same time. Why couldn’t he just be a regular guy, who was loyal and faithful to his girl? Why did she always have to second guess their relationship and worry about what the next b*tch had to say about her man? “What about that girl?” she asked.

“Fck that b*tch baby.” He scowled, “Fck all these b*tches. It’s just you and me. You hear me?” he placed his hands on either die of her face.

She nodded, “Yeah, but I swear to God if another b*tch even look like she about to say your name, she’s a dead b*tch.”

“You got that baby.” He smiled and kissed her lips. “We good now?”

“Yeah, witcho punk ass.” She laughed and pushed him.

He laughed and pulled her back to him, “Yo let’s go to Sylvia’s! A nigga hungry.” He kissed Ashley once more and led her to his car.

The other three got into the back. Christina sat behind Rashad, Nallely in the middle, and Curtis behind Ashley. Curtis looked over at Nallely and smiled. He had been watching her the whole time they were outside of the building. He didn’t wanna like her, but there was something about her.

“What you keep staring at me for?” Nallely finally called him out. Not that she didn’t like it, but she had been waiting on him to say something. They had talked on the phone the night before and it was refreshing. She was really diggin him and was almost sure that he felt the same.

Curtis smiled, “Just admiring something beautiful.” He continued his gaze as she blushed.

“Yo, King laying the moves on my sister back there?” Rashad joked while looking in the rearview.

Curtis finally broke his gaze and laughed, “Yo, just drive the car B!”

-----

“Yo man, you seen E?” Curtis was greeted by a common junkie.

He shook his head while holding his breath, the man smelled of piss, sh*t, and days old funk. “He got locked up a couple days ago.” He informed, hoping that was the last he’d have to say to the man.

“You taking over for him? I need a hit, <em>baaaad</em> man,” the man scratched his neck.

Curtis had then remembered the small balloon of pure cocaine he had in his pocket for almost two weeks now. “Nah, but I got this.” He stated as he pulled it out.

“Aw this way more than what E was dealin.” The junkie assessed. “How much you want?”

Curtis thought about it and shrugged, “50.”

“50? For this much? Yo, you alright man. You sure you not taking over?” the junkie asked again.

He thought it over, “Yeah, but not this building. The one across the street.”

“Word.” The junkie handed the crumpled up twenties and tens that added up to $50. “Thanks again man. What’s your name?”

Rashad ‘Richie Rich’ Johnson’s name was on everybody’s lips in the hood of Harlem. It was those b****es’ lips that Ashley had a problem with. “This b**** don’t know who the fck she messin with! Tryna fck MY man?! Ohhhhh hell no!” she exclaimed while spreading Vaseline over the exposed parts of her body.

The two stuck their tongue out at each other and turned their attention back to a fuming Ashley. She applied a thin layer while talking sh*t under her breath. All of a sudden, the house phone rung. The three all looked from out of the room and into the living room where it sat.

“I’ll get it.” Nallely offered as she left the room. “Hello?” she answered.

“Yo what’s up? Where my girl at?” Rashad’s voice came through the phone.

Nallely looked at the doorway to the bedroom and then down at the floor, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea right now.”

“And why the fck not? Stop playin NaNa n put Ashley on the phone.” He spoke with more bass in his voice.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at the phone, “Uhhh, I’m tryna help <em>yo</em> ass out! But if you insist.” She sat the phone on the table and went into the room, “Rashad on the phone.”

Ashley stormed into the living room and snatched the phone off the table. “So why the fck every time I turn the fck around, you got some b*tch hangin from ya nutsack?!”

Nallely and Christina stood in the doorway of the bedroom listening to it all go down. Ashley was always the one to pop off. She never had a problem with beating the brakes off a b**** that got out of pocket, or slicing her face for that matter. She was known to always have a razor ready. She was a true ride or die b*tch, one that all them rap niggas talk about in their music. That was Ashley Williams, born and bred in the slums of Harlem. The streets were all she knew.

She never watched her mouth with anybody, which is why Rashad was getting chewed out yet again for a slip up with some b*tch off 125th and Lenox. Rashad never actually cheated though, not that he could ever get that far with the radar Ashley obviously had on his d*ck. Or so he says. He may get his d*ck sucked a couple times, or the occasional accidental kiss while popping bottles in the VIP section. But he would never directly disrespect his girl, not his number one. Or so he says.

“You know niggas today, can’t trust em as far as you can throw em.” Nallely shook her head and sat on the bed.

“Yo, you need to calm the fck down!” Rashad belted into the phone, trying not to be so loud because he was around his soldiers.

Ashley smacked her lips, “Nigga, fck you <em>and</em> that b*tch! Matter fact, meet me over there cuz I’m bout to fck her up!” she slammed the phone down.

“Sh*t!” Rashad threw the big block cellphone into his cocaine white Mercedes convertible. The call trying to see if he could come over and "chill" had turned into the call from hell.

Curtis came out of his building, brushing his waves. “The fck wrong wit you, B?”

“The fck you think?” Rashad looked over his shoulder.

Curtis knew instantly and started to chuckle, “Yo that’s what the fck you get for fckn around B!”

“Shut the fck up. I ain’t fck that b*tch, aiight?! She running ‘round the whole hood talm bout I fckd her nsh*t. Now my girl on that Rambo sh*t.” Rashad walked around his car and got in the driver seat.

Curtis studied him for a quick second, “Yo where the fck you going?”

“To stop her!” Rashad yelled irritatedly.

Without hesitation, Curtis jumped over into the front seat just as he was pulling off.